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Libya

Imagine a visitor from another “world,” is somehow plunked down in our midst. This visitor is not familiar with our customs and mores, but it is able to reason and question in a perceptive way. It doesn’t take the visitor long to realize there are deep divisions between the adherents of the world’s different religions. The visitor sees so-called Islāmic wars being waged, outright massacres and attempts to establish “state,” religions. With his interest piqued, he decides to set out on a course which will allow him to examine the world’s religions.

The visitor first finds very little to commend the religions and is able to find that all the negative aspects of this world’s religions have existed since the dawn of time. What is more, the visitor sees a calendar of crusades, other “holy,” wars, pogroms, inquisitions and other partitions which have pitted neighbor against neighbor, brother against brother and father against son.

As our visitor continues he observes Sikhs versus Hindus, Muslims at odds with all other religions, fundamentalist protestants against those with a liberal bent, and catholics fighting within the faith with other catholics. He sees hundreds — no thousands — of innocent men, women and children murdered as the perpetrators swear they are following the dictates of their religion as they look toward heaven for their god’s approval. Our sojourner wonders at the effrontery of some of the world’s religious and political leaders as they expend more and more of their human resources to wage war on those whose religious beliefs run counter to their own. Wasted men and women, either dead, or mentally exhausted to the point of being unable to work as they once were. He also sees food and other sustenance wasted which could have been better spent filling the stomachs of the less fortunate or filling the minds of their ignorant and illiterate with meaningful knowledge.

Our visitor sees the three main monotheistic religions have similar or common theme in their doctrine and formation (not the least being their shared lineage from Abraham). Our “alien,” is chagrined at the rifts which have developed in the past and present among each religion’s adherents. He finds the fault does not necessarily or solely lie with the doctrine or the “holy,” books and tracts, but with some of the world’s religious leaders and their charlatanistic spin which they nimbly apply during their demagogic diatribes. He also sees followers blindly tagging along as they are fed the pablum of their very own “false prophet.” He doesn’t miss the demonic instructions which causes a young child to become a human bomb in order to rid the world of one more “infidel,” or non-believer; the dictates which withhold aid and succor for the world’s hungry and downtrodden; the dictates which teach hate is acceptable as it is directed toward one that is different because of their religious beliefs, the color of their skin, or their historic and ethnic culture.

Finally exhausted and disappointed in the extreme, our alien friend departs our world, shaking his head as he thinks:

How strange so many of that world’s religious leaders sit on their hands while their religions renegade elements wreak havoc on others and lay waste to the potential of that planet.

I hope the thoughtful reader will find nothing offensive to their person or spiritual well-being in reading the above, but if the opposite be the case, perhaps an inward search toward the depth of their soul will reveal something which could be attended to….

We wrote about Libya‘s citizens having a tough time as they attempt to remove themselves from under the iron claw of a dictator’s control over them for a little over forty years. We didn’t say much when Libya along with other proven human rights violators were elected to the United Nations Council on Human Rights. And we haven’t said much more as Qaddafi has continued down the path of killing and torture. Now as the killing has continued since revolutionaries have bucked the madman and reports tell us he has had over 1000 of his citizens murdered by his military, we finally peek out such as a wild turkey might peek over a log in the woods.

We have now asked that Libya be stripped of her seat on the council and a few other members have joined with us asking for the same. Bets are that it isn’t going to happen, at least not in any hurried fashion, and perhaps never. There are likely reasons why we have not acted more forcefully in the past and perhaps the inaction can be excused, but to be a part of the spit and whittle club that most of the United Nations’ members seem a part, seems a little much when we have touted freedom and democracy to the extent we have. I am not suggesting that we have to invade, but maybe a little action such as that taken by President Reagan might go toward a end to Qaddafi and his craziness.

Since we don’t seem inclined to act in an fast way, perhaps others who have an interest in freedom and democracy will step forward. In the meantime, here’s a rather lengthy interview from PBS which might entertain while it provides speculation on what groups are, and what groups are not, on the Libyan dictator’s side:

Mahmoud and Muammar, two fine allies who do our work for us. At least in a way. Each has recently called for more demonstrations or massing on borders of another country. Unfortunately, they were not referring to their county, but they are on the receiving end of some serious demonstrations or threats of acts against their governments. Gaddafi has played with mischief before and many times it brought him misery after it purchased fame for him among some who support him. Ahmadinejad has been another “fly” in the world’s ointment, and remains so today. While everyone waits for them to join together to drop the physical “N” bomb (nuclear) and not just talk about it in a virtual way; both men are dangerous boys with economies and constituents lagging in serious ways.

Ahmadinejad faced challenges in the very recent past, when many of Iran’s citizens were unhappy with his alleged win for a second term as President of Iran. Gaddafi has had a 42 year reign in Libya, which was surpassed by Castro, but no longer since “the Fidel” resigned and” the Raul” assumed power. The Wall Street Journal has reported that both of Iran and Libya face demonstrations and as stated above Iran’s has begun today. The quote below is excerpted from WSJ (click here) :

And in Iran, opposition leaders planned a demonstration on Monday in solidarity with the Egyptian and Tunisian revolts. The streets of Tehran rocked to the chants of residents shouting “Death to the dictator” and “God is great” Sunday night, according to witnesses and videos posted on Youtube.

Activists are calling for protests in Libya on Thursday, testing whether Col. Moammar Gadhafi‘s 42-year regime will be forced to make political concessions.

Perhaps the world will see more despots and dictators fall as the next week or so travels on to witness more folks making a charge to freedom such as they aren’t accustomed to feeling or witnessing. Here’s a short video recently posted to the web, and you can click on the video, and then the start triangle after the video plays to continue playing more related videos: